Jack Holder is the 2026 Australian speedway champion after producing yet another towering performance at the final round in Gillman (SA) on Friday, January 9.

The world No. 5 got the job done early, too, building an insurmountable margin over main rival Jaimon Lidsey in the final wave of Gillman heats, which took all the pressure off heading into the round four final.

And it showed, too, as Holder checked out in the decider to make it four round wins in succession – the perfect launching pad for another frenetic season in the UK and Europe, which will also include Speedway Grand Prix action as he looks to become the first Aussie world champion since Jason Doyle in 2017.

Rohan Tungate was second in the final – his first defeat of the night – ahead of Lidsey and Ben Cook.

The championship top three (L to R): Tungate (3rd, Holder (1st), Lidsey (2nd)

Holder completed the championship – which started with a double-header in Albury before a scorcher in Mildura – with 72pts out of a possible 76, with Lidsey (64pts) holding onto second ahead of a fast-finishing Tungate (61pts), followed by Zach Cook (41pts), Keynan Rew (39pts) and Ben Cook (37pts), who missed Mildura due to illness.

It’s Holder’s second Aussie title in the senior speedway ranks after first winning in 2023.

“It’s sometimes harder to win the second one than the first, and that’s certainly been the case for me,” said Holder. “I had to be on my toes the whole championship with Jaimon there the whole time.

“I’ve spent plenty of money sending good stuff out here over recent years, as the Aussie title is hard work – and when some of the local boys come back home they are different riders to what they are overseas. But it’s all paid off so I am very happy.”

Rohan Tungate (blue) and Jaimon Lidsey battling for second spot in the Gillman final

In the Gillman heats, Tungate was at his enterprising best with an unblemished scorecard – an ominous warning for his rivals when the FIM Oceania Speedway Championship is held at Gillman on January 11 – as he progressed straight to the final alongside Holder.

Ben Cook and Lidsey then won their semis to join Tungate and Holder in the finale.

Rew, Zach Cook, Justin Sedgmen, Mitchell McDiarmid, Reid Battye and Tate Zischke also saw semi-final action on a tricky Gillman surface.

McDiarmid, 17, finished eighth in the championship, one spot behind Jacob Hook, while Zischke and Sedgmen saw out the top 10.

Images: Judy Mackay